Marvelous
by iamdaemon
Summary: After another hiatus the story is complete! Jean is dead and the X-Men must now cope with a new opponent named Ms Marvel. Mostly Rogue and some angsty Cyclops. Developing a bit of RoguePiotr. Did I just say Riotr? You better believe it! R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

Marvelous

Chapter 1

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind.

Chapter 1:

It was a crucial mission. Everyone knew what the consequences could be. Everyone accepted the risks. That fact didn't change anything, though. No one could have anticipated what happened.

Professor Xavier got an urgent message that Mystique was going to do something horrible. Xavier sent his team of X-Men to an underground bunker in Kansas. Sure enough, Mystique was there and she was planning on firing the nuclear warheads. "What are you doing Mystique?" Cyclops demanded.

"I'm going to start a war that will end everything!" Mystique yelled as she was being restrained by Colossus.

"Are you so far gone that you would want to destroy humans and mutants alike?" Jean asked.

"The strong would survive. Mutants could survive the war. Mutants could finally take their place above pathetic humans," Mystique sneered.

Beast and Shadowcat were typing away at the console trying to deactivate the launch sequence. "Cyclops, we're not making much progress," Beast said worriedly.

Cyclops quickly thought through some things. "Okay we need to get these scientists out of here. Kurt port them out of here," Cyclops ordered.

Nightcrawler walked over to one of the scientists that were lying on the floor. "Hang on a second," Rogue said as she stepped to the scientist.

Rogue placed a bare hand on the scientist's forehead. "If I imprint all of their memories and knowledge maybe I can help Kitty and Beast," Rogue explained.

"Good thinking, Rogue. Colossus, keep Mystique up here. Jean, Bobby, and I will try to deactivate those rockets from the silos," Cyclops explained

Jean, Iceman, and Cyclops ran out the door to the rocket silos. Rogue imprinted the last scientist and helped Nightcrawler heft him up. "I'll be back," Nightcrawler said.

In a puff of sulfur and brimstone he disappeared. Rogue stepped over to the console to help Kitty and Beast. "Even with all these guys swimming in my head, Ah can't figure out what she did," Rogue said in frustration.

"Rogue, you and Kurt can come with me. Get me out of here and we'll be safe," Mystique offered.

"Ah don't think so Mystique. If this is some plan to get us to be a big happy family, then you failed. I'm going to stick this out with the X-Men," Rogue said harshly.

"Stop squirming," Colossus said in his thick accent.

"Let me go!" Mystique demanded.

"Since you're not going to be helpful and tell us what you did, Ah'll just have to take that information from you," Rogue said.

Rogue walked away from the console over to Mystique. "Are you sure you want to do that, Rogue?" Beast asked.

"It's the only way we'll know what she did," Rogue said.

Mystique tried to pull away but she was being restrained by Colossus. The instant that Rogue's fingertips touched her face, Mystique tensed up and cried out. Rogue felt all of Mystique's memories come flooding into her. Rogue felt the anguish that Mystique felt in having her children hate her. Rogue filtered through the memories and found the one she was looking for. "She's only launching one rocket. It's aimed at Washington," Rogue said.

"We can't get past the encryption. We can't stop the launch," Kitty said exasperatedly.

Kurt reappeared in the control room. He saw Mystique slumped in the arms of Colossus. "What happened?" he asked.

"Our momma needed a time out," Rogue said. She then turned to Beast and said, "Cyclops, Jean and Iceman will have to deactivate the rocket from down there."

Cyclops, Jean and Iceman were floating along the catwalk toward the silos at an incredible rate thanks to Jean's telekinesis. Rogue had called them on the communicator and given them the directions to the rocket that was going to launch. They arrived at the rocket and Jean landed them. These rockets were the latest in intercontinental munitions. These rockets were huge.

Jean opened a small panel with her telekinesis. It now revealed a keypad. She entered a code that Rogue had gleaned from the minds of the scientists. Now a large panel in the side of the rocket slid open. The inner workings and circuitry of the rocket was exposed. Jean stepped closer to work on the rocket. She was following Rogue's instructions over the communicator. "You're doing great Jean," Cyclops reassured her.

"Just keep calm," Iceman encouraged her.

"Something's wrong," Jean said.

She turned and had a confused look on her face. "This doesn't feel right. It feels…" she began.

The large panel in front of her began to slide shut. "Scott!" she shouted.

"Jean!" Cyclops screamed.

The rocket began to vibrate and shake. "JEAN!" Scott screamed again.

He put his hand to his visor ready to fire an optic blast. Iceman tackled him before he could fire. "We have to get out of here! It's going to launch!" Iceman yelled.

"I can't leave Jean!" Cyclops said struggling.

Iceman wrapped his arm around Cyclops and formed a sheet of ice. Iceman began to slide along the sheet to escape the rocket launch. Cyclops struggled against Iceman when suddenly Jean entered his mind. "_Scott. I have to try to contain the rocket's explosion. I'm the only one who can do it. If I don't make it, I just want you to know, I love you_," she said telepathically.

Jean abruptly cut the telepathic link between them. Iceman and Cyclops got behind the blast doors just as the rocket launched. Scott pounded on the door. He turned on Iceman. "I could have saved her!" he roared.

"You would have killed us all," Iceman said holding up his hands.

"Get me to the control room!" Cyclops ordered.

Cyclops and Iceman entered the control room. The others were looking dire. "There's still hope," Beast said.

"Bring up a camera," Cyclops barked.

Rogue got an outside feed brought up on a monitor. It showed the rocket flying through the air. "Jean will…" Kurt began.

"Save it," Cyclops sneered.

Kitty placed her hand on Nightcrawler's shoulder. Kurt shrugged away from her and stepped away. "Look the rocket is breaking up!" Rogue exclaimed.

"She's going to do it!" Colossus added.

It was true. The rocket was breaking up. It seemed to deteriorate right there. The rocket appeared to wobble slightly and then it began to crumple in on itself. The rocket then exploded in a brilliant flash. It wasn't a nuclear detonation but it was a powerful explosion nonetheless.

"Jean," Iceman gasped.

"NOOO! Jean!" Cyclops roared at the ceiling with his fists clenched.

Scott suddenly woke up in his bed. He was having the dream again. It wasn't a surprise, he'd been having the same dream for the last four months. He still couldn't believe that Jean had been gone for four months. The pain was still as raw as if she had died yesterday.

Scott looked at his clock. It was almost time for him to get up anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Marvelous

Chapter 2

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind.

Chapter 2:

Scott got out of bed and dressed. He put on a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt with a blue blazer. For a second he held two ties, one red and one blue. He decided to wear the red one. He had to go to the high school today with Professor Xavier for a meeting with Principal Kelly.

Scott opened his bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway. We walked down the hall and passed a couple doors. He stopped at one of the doors, which was the bathroom, and could hear Kurt singing in the shower. Everyone poked fun at him saying he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Kurt would simply say 'it's not about how one sings, but simply about having fun.' Kitty phased up through the floor in front of the bathroom door. "Kurt hurry up! I have to take a shower too you know! And try not to clog up the drain with blue fur again!"

Scott walked by and grinned despite himself. He continued on down the hall. He passed Rogue on the stairs. She was already dressed for a training session with some of the younger recruits. "Lookin' sharp Scott, where ya headed?" she said with a whistle.

Inwardly, Scott winced a little. He knew that Rogue used to have feelings for him. He hadn't opened himself up to another girl since Jean died and he was unsure whether she was just paying him a compliment or she was flirting. "I have to go to the high school with the Professor, remember?" he responded.

"Oh yeah, Ah remember. Good luck. Don't let Kelly rattle your cage," Rogue said as she headed up the stairs.

At the breakfast table Scott sat with Piotr and X23. X23 had been with the X-Men for a long time now. She was normally a solitary creature and preferred to be alone but the Professor convinced her that she could help to save other from facing the anguish that she had by joining the team. She had even chosen a name. She now went by the name Laura.

"Good morning, Scott," Piotr said.

"Morning, Pete. Could you pass me the sausage?" Scott asked.

"Of course," Piotr replied and passed the plate to Scott.

Piotr had joined the X-Men shortly after the events with Apocalypse. Xavier had welcomed him warmly and given him a place to live. When Piotr's sister, Illyana, manifested mutant powers she was also allowed to stay at the mansion. Some of the other members of the team were none too trusting of Colossus when he joined the X-Men but he had proven himself since that time.

Bobby walked into the dinning room. He and Scott exchanged glances but didn't speak to each other. Piotr and Laura looked to Scott and Bobby. Everyone knew there was a lot of tension between them since Jean's death. "Laura, I think we need to go train with Rogue," Piotr said.

"Um, yeah," Laura agreed.

They left leaving Scott and Bobby alone at the table. They ate in silence for a few moments. They were joined shortly by five identical girls. "Good morning Scott. Good morning Bobby. How are you feeling this beautiful day?" the five girls asked in unison.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Scott replied.

"I'd be better if my friend would acknowledge my presence," Bobby answered.

"Don't worry Bobby Drake. Scott is still upset about Jean. He will forgive you eventually," the five girls said together.

"Thanks for the info," Bobby said.

"Well I'm stuffed," Scott said pushing back from the table.

"I've got to get going too," Bobby added.

Bobby and Scott left the dinning room. "Those girls give me the creeps," Scott whispered.

"Tell me about it. The Stepford girls are definitely weird," Bobby agreed.

"_We heard that,_" the Stepford girls said telepathically.

Both Scott and Bobby broke into a fit of laughter.

Later, Scott is walking beside the Professor's wheelchair down the hallway of the high school. "Remember Scott, when we are talking to Principal Kelly, you must keep your temper," the Professor instructed.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Scott asked.

They entered the principal's office. Principal Kelly was sitting behind his desk. Jamie Madrox, the New Mutant known as Multiple was sitting in the corner. He was a senior this year. He was the last of the original New Mutants to graduate since he was the youngest.

"Principal Kelly," the Professor said with a nod.

"Professor. I've asked you here to discuss Jamie's behavior as of late," Kelly explained.

"Yes, we've known that Jamie has had some outbursts in the past four months. You see, his mentor Jean Grey…" the Professor began.

"I am well aware of Miss Grey's death. I am sorry for your loss. She was an excellent student," Kelly explained.

"You didn't think so five years ago when you wanted us kicked out of school," Scott barked.

"Scott, calm down, I'll do the talking," Xavier chided.

"The fact is Jamie has seen the school counselor, Miss Frost, several times. According to his sessions with her, he is still grieving over Jean. But the recent acts he has performed go beyond the limits of mere grieving," Kelly explained.

"What is Jamie accused of doing?" Xavier asked.

"Accused?" Kelly spat, "He has been seen vandalizing school property on several occasions and he has had several fights with other students. At the time of each altercation, he has somehow been in class or in the counselor's office. Then again, he is one of your wards. So that means he's a…"

"Mutant?" Scott asked.

"Exactly," Kelly said.

"You're just shaking him down because he's a mutant," Scott growled.

"I can assure you, that is not the case. Why don't you ask him for yourself," Principal Kelly offered.

"Well, Jamie?" the Professor asked.

Jamie looked away and crossed his arms. "Answer the Professor, Jamie," Scott urged.

"Fine," Jamie huffed. "I did all those things, alright?"

"Why Jamie? This isn't like you," the Professor said.

Jamie turned to Xavier. "I guess this isn't like me either," he sneered.

With that Jamie began to fade away. "That was one of Jamie's duplicates," Scott said.

"Under the circumstances, I'm afraid I have to expel Jamie from this school," Principal Kelly said.

"Regretfully, I agree with you," Xavier replied.

In the Danger Room Rogue was delivering the standard speech given at the beginning of a class's first Danger Room session.

"Welcome to the Danger Room. This is where the X-Men train and hone their powers in a controlled environment. Since this is the first time any of you students have trained in here Ah need to go over the rules: number one; watch each others back, number two; no goofing off. If you don't take this seriously you will be out of here without a second thought and join Beast in the control room. Lastly number three; no one is allowed in the Danger Room without someone who knows how to operate it in the control room. Any questions?"

A student in back raised his hand. "Yes Max?" Rogue said.

"What exactly does the Danger Room do?"

"Ah think I'll let Beast explain this one to ya'll," Rogue replied motioning to the control room.

"The Danger Room is part obstacle course and part survival simulator. The Danger Room has several hazards that emerge from the walls, ceiling, and floor. We have safety protocols that restrict the severity of the exercise; the higher the difficulty the lower the safety. It is not merely the metal walls you see before you. The Danger Room can create lifelike holographic images ranging in size from the smallest insect to the tallest tree. It also has a weather generator to give scenery the most lifelike affect. Everything is controlled from up here with the push of a button," Beast explained.

"Thanks Beast." Said Rogue, "Any more questions?" Rogue waited a moment before speaking, "Out of the eight of you, Ah will pick four for the first session and the other four will go watch from the control room. When we're done you will switch for the second session."

Rogue could see expressions change on the students' faces as she was starting to call names. The faces ranged from emotions that said 'oh crap' to 'yes please pick me.' A small smile crossed her face as she scanned the students. "Ah want Sooraya, Sofia, Josh, and Kevin. We'll wait until you four get to the control room to begin," Rogue finished addressing the other students. "Okay everyone, remember. This is not a video game; you can get seriously hurt in here."

"While we're waiting what kind of session will this be?" asked Sofia.

"It's just the basic beginners training mission. A little bit of an obstacle course and projectile dodging mixed in." Rogue replied.

"What kind of projectiles?" asked Josh worriedly.

"Beast can program the laser cannons to stun so there will be minimal harm."

"Minimal?"

"It hurts more getting hit with a tennis ball." Rogue replied with a smile, "Don't worry; you'll do fine."

"Ready when you are Rogue," Beast said over the intercom.

"All ready down here, Beast!" Rogue shouted back.

"Commencing student training session Team Work 101. All hostiles are programmed to attack students. The goal is to reach the button at the end of the course."

"Wait, what's that mean?" Sofia asked quickly

With the press of a button the Danger Room flared to life. The ceiling and walls opened in several places to reveal laser canons. Beside the students a wall protruded up about eight feet.

"It means Ah won't get attacked. The wall is there to keep you on course," Rogue said as the ceiling opened above them to reveal another laser cannon. "Now go!"

The students ran as fast as they could. Rogue, of course, followed them but kept her distance. They turned a corner and ran, only to be confronted with their first obstacle. The obstacle was a large pit in the floor with monkey bars above it. Kevin ran ahead and began crossing, followed by Josh, and Rogue. Sofia used her wind to carry herself and Sooraya across. "Nice job Sofia," Rogue complimented.

They all continued running and turned another corner. In the center of a large room was a small pillar about three feet high with a large blue button on it. "Look! There's the button," shouted Kevin.

They neared the entrance to the big room when all of the sudden two sections of the wall closed in together leaving only a six inch gap. "Now what?" Josh said sounding hopeless.

"I will turn to dust and slip through the gap and go press the button," Sooraya answered without second thought.

In a matter a seconds Sooraya was on the other side running toward the button. She quickly pressed the button and the two slabs retracted back to the wall allowing the rest of the team to enter. "Great job Sooraya!" Sofia cheered running up to her.

All of the sudden the pillar shot upward almost to the ceiling. This time the two slabs from the wall closed together blocking the exit. The students began to panic at the sudden change of events. They all turned their heads to the sight of several laser cannons emerging from the walls. "What's going on? I thought he mission was over," said Josh panicked.

"Apparently not," Kevin chided.

"Always expect the unexpected," Rogue announced. "Ah would be runnin' now."

In what seemed to be a fury of lasers the four students darted in different directions. Sofia flew up to press the button. "Don't worry guys, I got you covered. This will all be over in no time," she said.

No sooner than having said that she felt a stinging in her side. "Agh," she gasped, stopped, and examined her side. She quickly felt another stinging sensation on her back; she quickly resumed her flight to the button. Sofia was a foot away from the button when she was ensnared in a net. She dangled from the ceiling calling for help. "Sofia," Josh said stopping his run.

Unknowingly this gave the computer to aim for his chest. "Look out!" Kevin called; he tackled him from the side just before the laser fired.

The two of them stood and began dodging the beams the best they could. They didn't last too long. Kevin got hit in the calf, back, and in the soft spot of his right shoulder causing him to fall to his knees. "Kevin!" Josh shouted darting to help his fallen comrade.

The cannons quickly turned from Kevin to Josh and fired; he was hit once on the chest and twice on the stomach. He was knocked onto his back and slid a couple feet. Quickly, bars rose around the two of them keeping them in a type of cage.

"Sooraya!" Shouted Sofia, "I'll use my wind to lift you up to the button once again so you can press it!"

"Okay," she agreed.

Sofia's plan worked. In a matter of seconds Sooraya was able to press the button ending the mission. The laser cannons, walls, and bars all receded back into the walls; everything looked as is did before the mission began.

"Good work everyone," compliment Rogue. "You all passed. Keep in mind that as you progress the missions will continued to get harder.

The four of them moaned rubbing their injuries. "Tennis balls… yeah right," mumbled Josh as the four of them exited the Danger Room.

In a dark room several men are sitting around a table. "Sir, here is the footage that we wanted you to see," says one man in a military uniform.

He pushes a button on a remote and a feed begins to roll on the monitor. There are images of the X-Men in various battle situations. X23 is scaling a wall by using her claws. Cyclops blasts Juggernaut in the chest with an optic beam. Storm is flying in the air hurling lightning bolts down toward the earth. Shadowcat passes through a wall. "These are the X-Men," he says.

"I know who they are. The files say that SHIELD helped them about five years ago with those pyramids that appeared in China, Mexico, and Egypt. They're not really a threat are they?" another man asks.

"With all due respect, Mr. President, they are a threat. The X-Men are a clandestine group of vigilantes with superpowers. The public fears them. They are mutants. The mutant population is growing and people are getting scared," the military man says.

"What are you suggesting, General?" the president asks.

"We need to give America, the World for that matter, a face they can trust. They need someone that they know is on their side, not working out of some wealthy man's basement. We need your authorization to give them a hero," the general says.

"You mean thaw out Captain America?" the president asks.

"The super soldier program has come a long way since Captain America. We believe our new program will produce a soldier that can outfight the whole X-Men team," the general explains. "Allow me to introduce the woman who will be the first test subject."

The general waves and the door opens. A tall blonde woman walks in. She is quite striking. "Mr. President, it is an honor. I am Intelligence Special Agent Carol Danvers."


	3. Chapter 3

Marvelous

Chapter 3

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun. I also do not own Trent Reznor or the song "Every Day is Exactly the Same".

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind.

Chapter 3:

"How could you do something like that Jamie?" Scott demanded.

"Scott, I believe that this situation is best left to me," the Professor said calmly.

Scott ignored the Professor. "Principal Kelly hates mutants as it is, and you go on to give him another reason to hate us. What were you thinking? No, what would Jean think about this?"

"Who are you to talk? What would Jean think about you trying to distance yourself from all of the other students? Hell, you don't even talk to Bobby anymore!" Jamie exploded.

Both Jamie and Scott felt a powerful presence inside both of their minds. "_Scott, you will leave and allow me to talk to Jamie alone. Jamie you will calm down_," the Professor said.

Scott walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. "Jamie, you know I can enter your mind and find out for myself why you are behaving in such a way, but I will not. I want you to tell me why you are getting into trouble," the Professor said sternly. "Is it because of Jean?"

Jamie had tears welling up in his eyes. He bit his lower lip. "Really? You really want to know? It has partly to do with Jean. She meant a lot to me," Jamie said.

"I understand your grief. What I don't understand is why you are acting out so rashly?" Xavier stated.

"It's just that…we're supposed to be fighting for the good of all mankind, mutants and humans. We go out there and we get hurt. Jean was the first one. Who's next? Who will get hurt or killed next?" Jamie asked looking away from Xavier, the tears coming down his cheeks.

"Are you afraid that you will die?" Xavier asked.

Jamie's face grew red and he bit his lip again. "Yes," Jamie said finally. "I was the youngest recruit here a few years ago. I never got to go on any missions. Then once I got older, I got to go out and fight. On one of the missions that I didn't go to, Jean gets killed. What if I had gone out that day? Would I have died?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie, no one knows what might have been," the Professor said.

"I want to be taken off the team," Jamie said.

"Are you sure you want to be taken off the team?" the Professor asked.

"One of the two reasons that I was acting up was I wanted you to take me off the team. I didn't want to admit I was scared. I figured if I acted badly enough, you would put me on suspension," Jamie said.

"Admitting that you were scared took a lot of courage. It shows a level of maturity. Your actions belie that maturity however. What was the other reason you were getting into trouble?" the Professor asked.

Jamie lowered his head and looked up bashfully. He wiped his eyes on the back of his fist and said, "I was trying to impress a girl."

Xavier smiled kindly. "Next time you try to impress a girl, just remember; flowers work better than vandalism."

* * *

Rogue was in her bedroom. Kitty had gone out shopping so Rogue was listening to her music. She sat down on her bed and just enjoyed the music. He leaned back and then lay down with her head hanging off the edge of the bed. She whispered the lyrics along with the song, "There is no love here and there is no pain. Every day is exactly the same."

Suddenly there was a shadow at the door. Piotr was standing upside down, well not really. He just looked upside down. Rogue sat up quickly. "Hey Pete. Ya scared me," she said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry. I was just listening to your music. He sounds so…forlorn," Piotr said.

"Well, ya gotta hand it to ole Trent Reznor. He can be pretty forlorn," Rogue said.

There was a silence between them. Rogue looked away and to her stereo for a moment. She just felt odd. Piotr was probably the member of the team that she had the least in common with. Sure, they both had worked to further Magneto's mutant supremacy agenda, but that's about where it ended. He was from Russia, and she was from the South. How culturally different could you get?

"If you would let me, I would like to draw you sometime. You are the only one I have not drawn," Piotr said stepping closer.

Rogue knew Piotr was into art but she hadn't seen any of his work. "Ya don't wanna draw me. Ah'm borin'," Rogue said sheepishly.

"You are not boring. I think you are just….jaded," Piotr said.

"Jaded?" Rogue asked quickly.

"I just meant to say that you have to leave a life of isolation. You cannot get close to anyone. No matter how emotionally close you get, you cannot get physically close," Piotr said.

"If you're sayin' that Ah can't make love or kiss without killin' a poor fella, Ah already figured that out," Rogue said rising to her feet.

"I did not mean it that way," Pete said raising his hands defensively. "I meant in general. You must be a very strong person to go through life without being able to touch another human being."

Rogue felt herself calm down a little. Piotr was just trying to understand her. What did that mean? "You know what? Ah would be honored if you drew a sketch of me," Rogue said.

"It would be an honor to sketch you," Pete said with a smile.

* * *

Scott stood up and walked to the living room window. Outside he could see some of the new recruits playing a game of basketball. Not only were the games a means for relaxation, but the students were allowed to use their powers. Without realizing it, the students slowly gained more control of their powers.

Scott turned and walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. He pushed the door open and saw Bobby sitting at the table snacking and reading an article in the newspaper. Bobby looked up as Scott stopped in the doorway; after only looking for a second at Scott he resumed is reading without a word. Scott continued to the refrigerator. He grabbed a two liter bottle of soda and poured a small glass.

Scott began thinking of what Jamie had said to him; about how he had been avoiding everyone and keeping to himself. The more he thought about it the more he thought about Jean; about that dreaded day of her death and he tried to help her. He wanted to say something to Bobby, or anyone for that matter, about what happened. Sure, he had his conversations with the professor, but those were different. They felt more like counseling than anything, and the professor had no idea what it had been like on the front lines. Watching the door shut sealing her inside of the rocket. Watching it launch then slowly break apart and explode.

Coming back to reality he realized he'd been standing at the counter staring at the wall gripping his glass ready to lift it off the counter. He didn't know how long he had been standing doing that, but it felt like a while. He turned and walked to the table; he pulled out a chair and sat across from Bobby. He stared down at his glass between his hands trying to think of something to say to break the silence. "What are you reading about?" Scott asked.

"Car crash on route 52," Bobby replied not looking at him.

There was another intense moment of silence. "When you're finished with the front page can I see it?"

Bobby emotionlessly lifted his page out of the newspaper and handed Scott the rest. "You didn't have to do that. I would have waited until you were finished."

"You'd just sit there and wait with nothing to do?" Remarked Bobby, "I'll put my page back when I'm finished."

Deciding not to say anything more Scott began looking through the section Bobby handed him.

* * *

Rogue and Piotr were walking in the institutes gardens. Piotr was carrying his sketch pad and Rogue brought a small paperback novel. All around them were endless rows of flowers and countless butterflies, and humming birds. There were also several fountains varying in size adding to the serenity anyone could find in that wondrous place. The two were walking along one of the cobblestone paths talking to each other. They were getting along great and laughing on certain occasions. "So, before Ah let ya sketch me are ya gonna let me look at ya others?" Rogue asked.

"I'm usually really shy about these things, but since you asked so nicely," Piotr replied handing her his sketch pad.

Rogue began turning the pages amazing at how lifelike his sketches were. "Wow. These are amazing," she commented.

"I'm delighted you like them. The older sketches are in the front and the newer ones in back."

Rogue continued turning the pages. The first few pages were sketches of scenery, such as trees, mountains, flowers, and a few with animals in them. It wasn't until she turned deeper into the pad that she was truly amazed. She looked at a sketch of Scott washing his car. After she had her fill of that sketch she turned the page to see one of Ororo tending to her flower garden; next a sketch of Bobby lying on the ground propped up on his elbows. Rogue recognized the picture from their swimming trip to the lake. She turned the page once again to see a sketch of Logan sleeping under a tree with his cowboy had over his face. She couldn't hide a smile.

Rogue opened her mouth to say to Piotr that she really enjoyed hanging out with him when suddenly Kurt teleported between them. Both Rogue and Piotr jumped in surprise. "Kurt, ya scared me!" Rogue gasped waving her hand in front of her nose to waft away the horrible stench of brimstone.

"Guys, you need to see this on the news," Kurt said urgently.

"Take us there," Piotr urged.

Kurt grabbed onto the both of them and he teleported them to the television room. All the other X-Men were there. "This report came on just a moment ago," Beast explained as he turned up the volume for them all to hear.

"This is Trish Tilby reporting for Action 8 news and the scene below me is utter carnage," said a reporter from a news helicopter. "Below us, several dangerous mutants are attacking a United States aircraft carrier, just outside of the harbor. The US Navy and Coast Guard are doing their best to fend off this attack."

The camera shifted its view from Trish Tilby to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier. There were several mutants on the deck fighting the soldiers. All of the X-Men recognized the mutants as being members of the Brotherhood.

"We have to stop them," Scott said.

"But why are they attacking the ship?" Kitty asked.

"That is what I was wondering," the Professor stated.

"We can't let them hurt anymore of those soldiers," Scott urged.

"That is true. The ship is drifting closer to the harbor. It would be unfortunate for any of the battle to spill over onto the mainland. Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Rogue, Iceman, X-23 and Nightcrawler will take the jet to the harbor," Xavier explained.

"You don't want me to go, Professor?" Kitty asked.

"No, you and Beast will try to hack into the ship's manifesto and see if you can find out what the Brotherhood would be after," Xavier said.

"We'll show the Brotherhood a thing or two," Scott said.

"Storm will lead the team," Xavier added quickly.

"But why? I've led the team against the Brotherhood so many times before," Scott retaliated.

"We don't know why they are attacking the aircraft carrier. I think it would be best for Storm to lead the team," Xavier explained.

Scott ground his teeth but relented. "Let's suit up everyone!" Scott ordered. "To the jet in two minutes! We'll get there and clean up in about five minutes!"


	4. Chapter 4

Marvelous

Chapter 4

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind.

Chapter 4:

The side of the cliff behind the Xavier estate shimmered for a second and then changed into a metal panel. This panel opened up to reveal a landing strip. Suddenly, a sleek black jet flew out of the opening in the side of the cliff. The landing strip then became a sheer cliff wall again.

Storm sat in the pilot's seat with Scott beside of her in the co-pilot's seat. "T-minus six minutes to the harbor," Scott said reading from a control panel.

X-23 sat behind Cyclops flexing her fingers into fists. It had been a while since she had been sent on a mission. She had been practicing in the Danger Room but that didn't satisfy her urge to fight. She had been working with the Professor on controlling her rage and thirst for battle. She always thought it felt good to fight.

Nightcrawler sat beside of X-23. He was feeling a little afraid. He was wondering what was on the ship to warrant an attack. He felt that there was something going on beneath the surface.

Behind Nightcrawler was Colossus. He was in his human form. He wouldn't change into his stronger more resistant organic steel form until he got to the battle. He looked over to Rogue. Rogue turned her head to face him. He gave a weak smile. She returned the favor with a cute half-smile that Colossus had begun to draw in his sketch.

Iceman sat in the very back by himself. He hadn't gone to his ice form yet. He noticed the exchange between Colossus and Rogue. He just thought that they were sharing a moment because they were scared to go into battle. _It's just the Brotherhood. It's no big deal,_ he thought.

"We're coming around the ship," Storm said not much later.

"Looks like the military hasn't done to well," Nightcrawler said.

It was true, there were soldiers lying around the deck and wreckage was strewn everywhere. "Okay, everyone this may be harder than we thought. Colossus, Nightcrawler, Cyclops and X-23 will go in the first wave. Iceman, Rogue and I will follow," Storm instructed.

"Anything you say," Cyclops said flatly.

"Cyclops, I'm sorry your pride is hurt, but now is not the time," Storm said. "Let's go X-Men!"

With that Storm opened the door on the side of the jet. Colossus leaped from the door. He changed to his metal form in mid-air and landed with a heavy thud. In a cloud of brimstone and sulfur, Nightcrawler appeared with Cyclops and X-23. They looked around, the Brotherhood was no where to be seen. Behind them, the jet was landing. The rush of air as the jet began to land was very strong. Suddenly, a stream of fire shot between them. "Lookie, 'ere! It's the X-Men!" Pyro called out with a cackle as he stood up on a jeep.

Cyclops fired an optic beam at Pyro but he dodged down. Pyro returned the attack with a blast of fire that twisted into the shape of a dragon. "I'll take care of him," Colossus said.

Colossus lowered his head and charged through the dragon. He burst through on the other side and slammed into the jeep that Pyro was standing on. Pyro jumped off in the nick of time and the jeep skidded backward and then rolled over.

"Long time no see, Colossus old chum," Pyro laughed. "It warms my heart ta see you ag'in. Let me return the fayvah!"

Pyro shot a plume of fire that engulfed Colossus.

Storm landed the jet. Once it touched down, Rogue burst from the door. Iceman was right behind her riding on a sheet of ice. Storm flew from the door and rose into the air.

Pyro had emerged and was fighting with Colossus. The other members of the Brotherhood emerged from hiding and began to fight. In Rogue's earpiece, she heard Storm order, "Rogue, Avalanche is heading below deck. See if you can follow him."

"Sure thang," Rogue replied as she dashed across the deck after Avalanche.

"Hey, Furball. Bet'chu can't catch me," Toad challenged to Nightcrawler.

"I can beat you any day of the week, Toad," replied Nightcrawler.

Toad leaped over some wreckage. He looked over his shoulder and when Toad turned around, Nightcrawler was right in front of him. Nightcrawler swung a punch that Toad ducked. Toad dropped onto his back and kicked his legs like a bicycle. Nightcrawler began tumbling in the air. "I've learned some tricks since the last time we fought," Toad boasted.

Suddenly, Nightcrawler ported away. "Huh?" Toad gasped.

Nightcrawler appeared behind Toad. "Here I am, Slimey," Nightcrawler called out.

"Not for long," thundered a voice behind Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler looked up as a shadow fell across him. Blob was looming over him. Blob punched at Nightcrawler. Kurt ported away and Blob pounded the tarmac of the deck. "Thanks for the save," Toad said with a salute. Toad then saw Nightcrawler appear and then he hopped away to chase him.

Blob turned around to find another X-Man to fight when he was blasted with ice. "Hold it right there!" Iceman shouted.

"Do you think that ice will stop me?" Blob roared as he blocked his face with both hands.

Iceman stopped momentarily to see what kind of damage he had done. Both of Blob's hands were sheathed in ice. Blob chuckled and smashed his hands together. The ice smashed away and Blob flexed his fists and grinned. Iceman frowned. Blob was then hit from the opposite direction by a fierce wind. Blob braced himself and growled, "That little breeze is not gonna move me!"

"Iceman, make things a little slick," Storm suggested from the air above Blob.

Iceman made an ice skiff beneath Blob's feet. Blob lost his footing and slipped and fell. The skiff of ice was wide and he landed on his stomach. Storm's wind sent Blob sliding across the deck.

On the other side of the deck it appeared that Cyclops was firing his blasts wildly. Really, he was trying to hit Quicksilver. "What's wrong Summers? Can't catch me? Your honey isn't here to pick me off the ground?" Quicksilver taunted.

"You shut your mouth about Jean!" Scott spat.

Scott took his time and aimed. He anticipated where Quicksilver was going to move to and fired. Cyclops' blast struck Quicksilver in the chest, knocking him backward.

Cyclops turned as he heard X-23 roar in rage. He was suddenly knocked off his feet. Quicksilver had recovered and punched Cyclops in the blink of an eye.

X-23 was raging because the deck beneath her had suddenly turned molten. With her quick reflexes, X-23 jumped away. "You gotta try harder than that Scarlet Witch!" X-23 sneered.

Scarlet Witch waved her hands and the wreckage of a jet came hurtling toward X-23. X-23 extended her claws and jumped over the shrapnel that was flying toward her. She jumped into the air and sliced through a broken piece of fuselage. "You don't want to fight me," Scarlet Witch warned.

"You don't know how much I want to fight you," replied X-23 as she growled again and leaped forward.

A good distance from the battle, Rogue had caught up to Avalanche. "Too bad ya powers ain't no good on the high seas," Rogue taunted.

"I don't need my powers to beat your ass," Avalanche sneered.

"Hit me with ya best shot," Rogue said with a grin.

Avalanche feint an attack at Rogue. She tensed and dropped into a fight stance while Avalanche darted to the side and scooped up a metal bar. He gripped it and swung at Rogue's face. Rogue gasped and ducked, covering her head. The rod connected with her hand. Rogue jumped back and shook her hand in pain. "Damn it!" Rogue swore.

"I've got plenty more where that came from," Avalanche threatened.

"No more kidding around," Rogue said backing up and sliding off her gloves. "The kid gloves are off."

Rogue advanced toward Avalanche. Avalanche tensed up, ready to swing the twisted metal. Before Rogue could swing a single punch, there came several shouts from their teammates. "You're friends are gettin' beat," Avalanche said with a grin as he backed away from Rogue.

Rogue didn't know what to do. Avalanche was going to get away. Rogue could either chase after him or go help her friends. Rogue turned and ran to go help her teammates.

* * *

Storm was still fighting Blob with Iceman. "You can hit me with all you got, and I'll keep coming at you," Blob boasted.

"Iceman, we are going to have to change our tactics," Storm advised.

"I'm taking over now," a voice said from behind Storm.

Storm whirled around. Another woman was floating in the air right behind her. She was blonde and very attractive. She was wearing a black suit with a yellow splash across the front. He was also wearing a black mask over her face, most likely to protect her identity. Storm had never seen this woman before. "Who are you?" asked Storm cautiously.

"I'm the solution to this country's problems," the lady said.

"You'll never stop the Brotherhood!" Blob yelled as he picked up a large metal drum.

"Brotherhood, X-Men, I'm here to stop you all," she said stopping the fighting and gaining the attention from both groups.

The woman held her fists in front of her and dove out of the air. She drove right into Blob's stomach. "Ooomph!" Blob grunted.

Blob's eyes widened in shock as this woman knocked him off his feet and sent him flying through the air and demolishing an airplane. The woman floated up from Blob and said with a flip of her hair, "By the way, you can call me Ms. Marvel."

Everyone was silent and some gasped at what she had just done to Blob. "What do you want, Ms. Marvel?" Cyclops demanded.

"I'm here to put a stop to you vigilante and terrorist mutants. It's you that give other mutants a bad image; your lawbreaking and life threatening has to end," she said with a wicked smile.

"Lady, you need to chill out," said Iceman stretching out is arm and firing an ice beam at her.

Ms. Marvel turned and flew straight at him with her fist drawn back for a punch. She didn't bother to dodge his ice beam. Instead she raised her other arm to block it and flew straight through it. Iceman's eyes widened as he gasped. He managed to take a step back, but it was useless. She punched him square in the ribs and sent him flying across the flight deck and skidding to a halt facedown. Iceman fell unconscious and reverted back to his human form.

"Iceman!" Shouted Storm calling lightning to her hands.

"Where I come from it is not customary to hit a woman, but an enemy is an enemy," Colossus said running drawing a back.

He swung to punch her but she flew to the side and dodged. Colossus looked to the side as his fist hit only air. Ms. Marvel flew up to reach his head and punch him in the face. Colossus stumbled a few steps back and Ms. Marvel punched him in the stomach sending him over the side of the deck, plummeting into the water.

"Nightcrawler! Find Colossus!" Storm ordered.

"Gotcha," Nightcrawler said just before he disappeared.

Ms. Marvel turned to her next closest target which was Quicksilver. He gulped as she flew for him. He ran to the side and Ms. Marvel pursued. She quickly stopped in mid air as a lightning bolt crashed in front of her.

"You will not hurt anyone else!" commanded Storm.

Without a word, Ms. Marvel surged toward Storm. Storm let loose a barrage of lightning. Ms. Marvel crossed her arms in front of herself and powered through the lightning. Ms. Marvel backhanded Storm and Storm faltered for a second. Ms. Marvel grabbed Storm's wrists. She swung Storm around for a moment. Ms. Marvel released her, sending the X-Man flying into Quicksilver who was now beside Blob.

"You guys don't put up much of a fight," Ms. Marvel said with air of disappointment.

"'ey, she-bitch! Come and get some ah this," Pyro challenged.

Pyro cranked up his flamethrower and released a giant plume of fire. The fire hit Ms. Marvel right in the face. Pyro laughed as he continued to release his flames. "Huh?" he asked as his opponent emerged from the fire right in front of him.

She grabbed his wrists in her hands, crushing his flame releasing nozzles. "My hands! You bitch! You crushed my hands!" Pyro screamed.

Ms. Marvel suddenly stumbled forward. She had been taken by surprise. She whirled around. X-23 sliced at Ms. Marvel's back once again. "Sorry, kitten. I don't cut easy," Ms. Marvel teased.

X-23 sliced again but she was grabbed up by the throat before she could do anything else. A shadow fell across Ms. Marvel and the struggling X-23. A jet was plummeting toward them. Scarlet Witch stood over to the side waving her hands. Ms. Marvel turned her head and watched the jet descend as a frantic X-23 tried to free herself.

The jet crashed into the two of them resulting in an explosion. An unconscious X-23 flew to the side and landed in a heap. Scarlet Witch started at the center of the fire. "I believe you're looking for me?" Ms. Marvel said from above the fire.

Scarlet Witch's eyes widened. "My turn," she said rapidly flying at Scarlet Witch with both fists in front of her. She hit her in the stomach sending her flying against a wall; she fell to the ground unconscious.

Ms. Marvel turned around to see Toad jumping around advancing toward her. He jumped to one spot and spit a wad of slime. Ms. Marvel saw it coming for her stepped to the side. Toad released another slime ball and Ms. Marvel dodged again. This time she flew at Toad with a fist drawn back. She was about a foot away from Toad and she released her punch. Toad jumped to the side and lashed out his tongue; it wrapped around her wrist. Toad jerked his tongue and flung Ms. Marvel into a wall. The impact didn't faze her; however there was a deep dent shaped like Ms. Marvel in the wall. She stood up and charged Toad once more.

Rogue ran out of a door way and stopped to look for her friends. She saw that their numbers had dwindled considerably. Only Cyclops remained standing and he just seemed to be watching Ms. Marvel's fight with the Brotherhood. Rogue ran up to him and asked, "What's goin' on?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Where is everyone?" Rogue asked worried.

"Down," he continued to mumble. "She took them all down without a scratch."

"Listen. With Toad distractin' her Am gonna try to touch her. Once I break contact you blast her."

"Quit jumping around so I can hit you," Ms. Marvel said.

"Why should I do that? I'm having too much fun," Toad mocked continuing to jump around.

Toad jumped a couple more times and unknowingly landed on a piece of debris causing him to stumble. "Uh oh," was all he could manage before getting punched by Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel turned her head just in time to see Rogue five feet away from her with her hands bare. She swung her arm widely connecting with Rogue's chest sending her flying backward into some stacked barrels. Cyclops's optic blast never came.

Ms. Marvel started to charge at Cyclops but stopped when she saw several SHIELD helicopters approaching. Nightcrawler had teleported back onto the flight deck with a waterlogged Colossus.

Ms. Marvel turned around behind her to see Avalanche approach Pyro from a doorway. "Let's get outta 'ere while we can, Avalanche!" Pyro exclaimed.

"I think you two should stay," Ms. Marvel said flying to them and grabbing them.

She dragged them away from the doorway and more into the open. Nightcrawler and Colossus snapped Cyclops out of his daze and began to gather the other X-Men and take them to the jet. Colossus ran over and carefully picked up an unconscious Storm and ran back over to Cyclops. Kurt teleported over to X-23 and teleported back over Cyclops.

"Vhere are Rogue and Iceman?" Nightcrawler asked.

Colossus and Cyclops quickly turned scanning the flight deck. "I do not see them," Colossus said.

* * *

Iceman slowly regained consciousness. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and noticed pain course through his ribs causing him to hiss through is teeth. He looked up and saw Rogue close by laying unconscious under some barrels. Ignoring the pain he quickly rushed to her. He quickly pushed the barrels off of her gritting his teeth through the pain.

He bent down and rolled her over onto her back and gasped when he noticed she wasn't breathing. He placed his ear on her chest and heard that her heart was still beating. He placed his hand behind her neck and tilted her head back. His gloves protected him from Rogue's powers. _Here goes,_ Bobby thought before placing his mouth over Rogue's and exhaled.

He immediately felt the affects of Rogue's powers. What he didn't expect was that he couldn't break the connection. He tried to move his arms to push away but he couldn't. He tried to move his legs, but like his arms they would not budge. It was like he was in some type of paralysis that would only go away when Rogue broke the connection between them.

His eyes widened and his heart beat more rapid as he filled with panic. He panicked because not being able to break the connection was unexpected. _If this is how I'm going to go at least she'll make it,_ he thought. After thinking that his panic ceased; even though Rouge was draining him of his life energy.

His eyes grew heavy as he could feel his life and energy slipping away. His heartbeat slowed a little and he could feel himself get a little lightheaded from lack of energy. How he managed to stay conscious this far he didn't know either. He could feel his muscles relax and go limp and his eyes becoming heavier by the second. He had no idea how long he had been making contact with her but he guessed it had been quite a while now. All of the sudden he saw Rogue's eyes snap open just as he fell unconscious.

Rogue shoved Iceman away. "Ya fool, what'd ya do that for!" Rogue shouted.

Suddenly, there was a crackling noise. Rogue didn't know what the sound was until she looked at her hands. They were as clear as ice. Her whole body was made of ice.


	5. Chapter 5

Marvelous

Chapter 5

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind. This is the first chapter to be posted after a log hiatus. I'm also going to go back and edit some of the other chapters for mistakes and things.

Chapter 5:

Rogue looked around the flight deck. Her teammates had gathered together near the jet. Storm and X-23 were unconscious. Rogue quickly rummaged through the memories she had acquired from Iceman. She hefted Bobby under her arm and held her hand in front of her. She created a thick patch of ice and using her borrowed skills she used that ability to slide quickly over to the other X-Men.

"What happened?" Scott demanded.

"Why didn't you blast her?" Rogue asked as she handed Bobby over to Colossus.

"Guys, don't argue. We need to get out of here!" Nightcrawler interrupted as he pointed toward the sky.

Ms. Marvel was coming around for another attack. Also, behind her several SHIELD helicopters were growing larger in the distance. As everyone loaded into the jet Cyclops fired several blasts at Ms. Marvel but she gracefully dodged them. Cyclops let loose one more blast before the hatch of the jet closed.

Cyclops ran to the cockpit of the jet. He passed by where X-23, Storm and Iceman had been strapped into their seats. They each sat with their heads lolling like rag dolls. He leaped into the pilot's seat since he was the only one capable of flying the jet. Rogue and Colossus had shifted to their normal forms. "Hold on!" Cyclops shouted as he slammed the throttle forward sending the jet skyward.

"I think we lost them," Nightcrawler said looking at the control panel.

Rogue looked at Iceman. She had absorbed a lot of him. He had held contact with her for a while. His memories filled her head. The thing that was in the forefront of the swirling maelstrom of memories and emotions was the desire to help her. He knew that the contact with her could kill him and yet he did it anyway. Rogue was touched by his selflessness. He would have died to save her. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. One tear began to roll down her cheek but it froze half-way down her face. She wiped away the small spot of cold. She turned from Bobby and craned her neck almost uncomfortably when she heard growling.

X-23 had regained consciousness but she was in a state of bloodlust. Her eyes were wild and her claws were extended. She gnashed her teeth and growled. She was looking for someone to kill. "Calm down. Please," Rogue pleaded.

"Rogue, Colossus, if she gets loose you need to keep her from hurting anyone," Scott ordered.

By the time the jet came to rest in the hangar, X-23 had calmed down. The mood on the jet was dour. Cyclops was furious and the others were worried. Cyclops had radioed to the mansion and told Beast to be ready in the medical bay. "Kurt take Storm first; then Bobby," Cyclops ordered.

"Right," Kurt said and then hurried over to Storm. He scooped her up and then teleported away.

Cyclops went to Bobby to check his pulse. "How long did you hold onto him Rogue?" Cyclops demanded.

"It was his doin' you should know. Ah was hurt and he had to start my breathin' again. Bobby saved my life," Rogue explained. "As soon as Ah came around, Ah pushed him away."

Scott didn't speak again. He was still trying to process the situation. Why had he not fired at Ms. Marvel? He was shaken from his thoughts by the return of Kurt. "Dr. McCoy is taking care of Storm right now. He has everything ready," Nightcrawler explained.

Cyclops moved out of the way to let Kurt get closer to Bobby. In a puff of smoke, they were gone. "What do we do now?" Colossus asked.

"We figure out what the hell is going on," Cyclops said grimly.

* * *

"I'm Trish Tilby and I'm live at the scene where the attack of several mutants on the United States aircraft carrier was foiled by this masked woman," the reporter said breathlessly as she ran toward Ms. Marvel with her cameraman in tow.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Trish Tilby from Action 8 news. Who are you? Are you a mutant as well?" Trish asked.

Ms. Marvel had been talking to a pair of soldiers when Trish approached her. Ms. Marvel turned and saw the camera. She gave a brilliant smile. "Me a mutant? No, Miss Tilby. I'm just what the government needs to handle situations like this. The country doesn't need some group of _X-Men_ or other vigilantes protecting them. Our nation needs a face they can trust, someone they can rely on. That's where Ms. Marvel comes in," she explained.

"Ms. Marvel? If you are not a mutant how are you able to accomplish those feats of strength or fly?" the reporter asked.

Ms. Marvel was about to speak when suddenly there was some shouting behind her. It appeared that some of the soldiers were struggling with one of the Brotherhood members. "Duty, calls," she said with a wink and flew over to help the soldiers.

"Ms. Marvel; a new agent in the arsenal against meta-human threats. A new face to be trusted? That remains to be seen. I'm Trish Tilby for Action 8 news," she concluded.

Kitty clicked the television off. "I tried to hack my way into every national security database but I couldn't find anything related to Ms. Marvel. If she really is with the government the security clearance is tight," Kitty explained.

"I'm sure we'll get more information with time," Peter answered.

Kitty was standing behind the island in the kitchen while Piotr, Kurt, and Rogue were sitting at the table. There was intense silence between the four of them. Kitty tapped the toe of her shoe on the floor while Peter stared outside though the multi-paned window. Rogue stared into her glass of ice tea that was calmly resting between her interlocked hands. Kurt noticed there was no ice, and desperate to break the silence said "You better drink it before it gets warm." The sudden realization of his comment hit him as Kitty and Pete shot glares at him; he stared at the table feeling dumb.

Rouge could not stop thinking about the memories she had unwillingly taken from Bobby. Moreover she was extremely gratified that he risked his life to save her. His memories kept replaying the day's events over and over. The same emotion filled her with each repetition. Soon, she mindlessly stood from the table and exited the kitchen.

It had been a few hours since the battle on the aircraft carrier and all the X-Men were trying to heal in their own ways. They were each sore and tired. Perhaps they were more tired in spirit than in body. They had been soundly beaten by a new opponent.

Rogue wandered down the medical bay where Bobby was lying in a hospital bed. She looked through the window in the door to see him lying peacefully asleep. Dr. McCoy said that he was in a coma. It was difficult to gauge how long he would be asleep because they didn't know how long he held contact with Rogue. The room only had one more occupant and that was Scott. Storm had recovered and retreated to her room for some meditation and reflection on the day. Scott was sitting in a chair next to the bed watching over Bobby.

Rogue walked into the room to join Scott. He only acknowledged her presence by asking, "Has Kitty found anything yet?"

"No, not yet," Rogue replied.

Scott didn't say anything in response. Rogue stood awkwardly by the door for a few more moments. "You know Bobby doesn't hate you for being mad at him," Rogue said.

"What? I'm not mad at him," Scott said quickly as he turned to face her.

Rogue bristled at the attitude that Scott was giving off. "Don't give me that! Everyone can see that you two have been pissed at each other since…"

"Don't say it Rogue," Scott threatened.

"Since Jean died," Rogue continued. "Ah have all of Bobby's memories right now. The one that's like a neon flashin' sign is his devotion to the team and his friends. That's why he's in a coma now. He risked his life to save mine. What else Ah'm feelin' is that he's sorry that's you two aren't as good of friends as you used to be."

Scott rose from the chair. "What do you think I'm doing down here? I know how I've treated him. I know the things I've said, the things I've felt toward him. You know I actually blamed him as the reason I couldn't save Jean? That's why I'm down here. I'm hoping to God that he pulls out of this so I can tell him that I know it wasn't his fault, that I don't blame him," Scott said. His fists were trembling and his voice was on the edge of breaking.

The only sound between Rogue and Scott now was the beeping of the equipment monitoring Bobby.

There was someone else listening to the exchange between Rogue and Scott on the other side of the door. He couldn't help but feel as if there was something that he could have done. He felt so ashamed of himself. The words he heard describing the devotion between friends broke his heart. He wiped the tears from his eyes and slinked away unnoticed.

* * *

In the darkened room the men were gathered together and talking once again. "In the past hour, the media frenzy over Ms. Marvel has more than tripled," one man said excitedly.

"Miss Danvers, you've become a media icon in less than a day," the President said.

"Thank you sir, I was just doing my job," she replied.

"The press is eating this up but what is the response we're getting?" he asked.

"So far the reception has been half positive and half suspicious," the general answered. "Some are saying Ms. Marvel is the new "American Hero" and others are saying that a meta-human superhero manufactured by the government can't be trusted."

"Was it too early to expose Ms. Marvel to the public?" one scientist asked.

"I don't believe so," Carol answered quickly.

"The situation was perfect. The X-Men were there and she took care of them easily," the general explained; his bias against the X-Men only showing through slightly.

"And the Brotherhood?" the President asked.

"They were no problem whatsoever," Carol replied a smile played on her lips at the thought of how easy it had been. The X-Men had put up more of a fight.

"The Brotherhood members are currently in custody," one man answered.

"We need to clear up any rumors and worries that might start growing. A press conference, maybe?" The President suggested. "Just to show that there is nothing to hide. To show that Ms. Marvel is everything that she says she is. She's just a girl next door."

"Except I can fly and bench press a tank," she said smiling.

Everyone in the room laughed. They all had high expectations for this project. "We'll schedule the press conference in a couple of days," one man offered. "That will let the media work itself into a frenzy."

"If any more situations come up, you can deal with them, right Carol?" the President asked. He sincerely didn't want anything to happen to this woman. She had taken great risks to undergo the procedures. Her service record was stellar and she was a real trooper.

Carol Danvers grinned with confidence. "I can handle anything you throw at me."


	6. Chapter 6

Marvelous

Chapter 6

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind. This is the second chapter to be posted after a log hiatus. I'm also going to go back and edit some of the other chapters for mistakes and things.

Chapter 6:

Ms. Marvel flew through the air nimble and agile as any bird. She dove head-first toward the ground. There was a sound of gunshots and bullets ricocheted harmlessly off her chest. The bank robber dropped his gun and turned around. He began to run to only get slammed in the back by Ms. Marvel's spear attack. The robber flew forward and tumbled along the ground.

Rogue changed the channel. This station showed Ms. Marvel hefting up a taxi cab. Another station displayed her suspending two criminals off the ground. She winked to the camera and flew the two men to the police cars that were waiting nearby. Rogue grew frustrated and clicked the television off. "Hello," someone called from behind her.

In surprise, Rogue shifted to her ice form. It had been three days since Rogue had absorbed Bobby's powers. She was beginning to get a little scared for Bobby. Cody was in a coma for a long time when she absorbed him but it was hard to tell how Bobby would end up. She saw that Piotr had entered the room carrying his sketch pad and reverted back to her normal form. "Sorry, Pete. Just been on edge lately," she apologized.

"Do not worry about it. Everyone has been upset since the battle," Piotr replied. "I have finished the sketch of you."

"Really? Ah haven't posed for you or anything," Rogue said making room for the hulking young man on the couch.

"I've sketched you from memory," he said. "I've been trying to unwind but I cannot seem to occupy my mind with anything other than the battle and Bobby."

"Ya have no idea, sugah," Rogue added giving a half-smile. "With him in my head Ah keep daydreamin' about bikini models."

Piotr chuckled and flipped through the sketch pad. He folded the pages back handed her the book. Rogue took it in her hand looked at the picture. It was amazing that he had drawn it from memory. He had portrayed her reading a novel in the rose garden perfectly. "Piotr, Ah don't know what to say. It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I am glad you like it," he said.

Rogue looked up at her teammate and smiled. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? Would this make things weird between them? Was this really happening? "Rogue, I know that things now are tense for everyone but I just need to say…" Piotr began to say but Rogue stood up quickly thus cutting him off.

"Is something wrong? Did I say something out of turn?" he asked.

"No Pete, Ah'm just confused right now. Like you said, this is a tense time for all of us," Rogue answered as she walked around the couch.

"Ah just need to think about some things," she said placing a hand on his shoulder.

When Rogue left the room Piotr was left alone on the couch.

* * *

Scott and Kurt were in town picking up a pizza. Scott had been by Bobby's bedside for two days straight until Kurt finally convinced him that he needed some fresh air. Kurt promised to teleport them to the mansion immediately if there was any word about Bobby. "Do you see, this is what the outside world looks like, Scott," Kurt joked as they exited carrying the pizza.

Kurt raised the lid on the box and sniffed the pizza. He licked his lips in anticipation. "We should really get back," Scott protested.

"Do you really think Doctor McCoy will let anything bad happen? He's on the job 'round the clock," Kurt protested. "Besides it's not healthy to stay cooped up like that. Don't get me wrong. I'm worried too, but you'll just make yourself sick."

Kurt opened the pizza box wider and began to reach his hand inside to steal a slice when he called out in shock, "Aaaaiieeee!"

Scott and Kurt wheeled around to find a large white dog with a curled tail nipping at Kurt's leg. Kurt was wearing his holographic inducer but he was certain that the dog wasn't fooled by his scent. "Shoo, doggie. Shoo," Kurt said waiving his hand.

A woman in a mint green running suit ran up to them. "Honshu! Heel!" she commanded.

The dog left Kurt alone and walked back to her side. As she reattached the leash to the dog's collar she said, "I'm so sorry about that. He just broke loose. I don't know what got into him."

She stood up and smiled. She was a little out of breath and flushed from jogging but she still looked ravishing with her golden hair pulled into a ponytail. She looked from Scott to Kurt and then back to Scott. "Do I know you?" she asked.

Kurt and Scott looked quickly to one another. "I don't think so," Scott replied.

"No, I'm sure of it. A-ha! You're Scott Summers from Xavier's!" she exclaimed.

Kurt and Scott tensed up. Many people knew that mutants resided at the mansion but they didn't know how this woman would react. "I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. I'm Emma Frost, the guidance counselor at Bayville High. I've seen you with some of the students at the high school," she explained.

"Ah, some of the students have mentioned you," Kurt said.

"Yeah," Scott managed to say.

"And the students have mentioned you as well," she said straightening her velour jacket with her free hand.

Her Akita pulled at his leash and she said, "Well, we must be going. It was nice to finally meet you. Maybe next time will be under more civilized circumstances," she said.

Miss Frost and Honshu jogged off down the sidewalk. Scott and Kurt made their way to the car. "Dude, you have been spacing out a lot lately. Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

Scott didn't answer. He looked off down the sidewalk after Emma. He could have sworn that she turned around and looked at him too.

* * *

Dr. McCoy exited the medical bay clutching a clipboard. Professor Xavier was waiting for him in the hallway. "He appears to be recovering," the doctor said.

"That is good news. Everyone will be glad to hear that," Xavier said.

"Any word from SHIELD yet?" McCoy asked.

"No. Colonel Fury hasn't contacted me yet," Xavier replied. "And Kitty hasn't been able to glean any information about this Ms. Marvel from any of the databases yet. They only information that we've been exposed to is from the news. They say nothing of her origin other than she is a government sanctioned superhero."

"At least that takes some pressure off of the X-Men to handle these crises," McCoy stated.

"My students were never intended to be soldiers solely. I founded the school to be exactly that, a school. My dream was to bridge the gap in human-mutant relations. Ms. Marvel claims to be here to replace the X-Men as a policing entity. If anything, she could possibly help my goal. If the public sees the X-Men as a reckless vigilante group, perhaps that's what we've become," the Professor explained.

"Perhaps you're right Professor," McCoy said.

The two of them had entered the elevator and arrived at the ground floor. "I believe Kitty has something exciting to tell us," the Professor said as the elevator doors opened.

Kitty came running down the hall toward them. "Professor, there's going to be a press conference! Ms. Marvel is going to answer the press' questions," she said excitedly.

"We may finally get some answers to our questions," the Professor said with a nod.

"What are we going to do?" Kitty asked.

"Do? You aren't suggesting that we go fight her at a press conference," Dr. McCoy said.

"Well…" Kitty said making an embarrassed face.

"Just because Ms. Marvel fought the X-Men doesn't mean she's an enemy. She was an agent of the government sent there to protect their aircraft carrier. The X-Men don't just go and pick a fight because they lost a battle," the Professor explained.

"Well, everyone's watching it right now. Its about to start," she said.

The X-Men, and several of the younger students were gathered together in the sitting room to watch the press conference. The conference was being held in New York City in front of the New York Public Library. Ms. Marvel was standing next to a general and a scientist. It appeared that the security for the event was pretty high. Armed guards were stationed in various places. They were probably unnecessary considering what Ms. Marvel was capable of. Everyone had been introduced by the time Xavier and McCoy reached the television. A reporter from the Daily Bugle was given the floor, "Ms. Marvel, how did you get your powers since you claim to be a human rather than a mutant?"

"I am the product of the same project that gave this country Captain America. The procedure has been modified, obviously," she replied.

"You tell us that we can trust you. How can we trust you when you wear a mask? The vigilantes that you are trying to quell don't wear masks for the most part," another reporter questioned.

The scientist took care of this question. "Our research shows that the average citizen responds positively to a "superhero figure." We are taking every measure to make the nation as comfortable as possible with Ms. Marvel. I mean, who wouldn't want to be saved in _her _arms, right?" he said jokingly sending chuckles through the crowd.

"That's not sexist," Rogue said sarcastically.

"The press is eating this up," Storm added.

"Of course, they're saying exactly what the public wants to hear," X-23 growled. "It doesn't seem right that a program like that would be so upfront."

"You would be the one to know right?" Jamie asked.

"How could you say such a thing, Jamie? Laura has proven herself," Storm scolded.

"That isn't Jamie," the Professor said, his eyes going wide with shock.

"Where'd the real Jamie go?" Scott asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Rogue said.

They each turned slowly to the television.

* * *

The press conference was beginning to wrap up. "I'll take one more question," Ms. Marvel said into the microphone, smiling as usual.

Each reporter was vying to be acknowledged. Slowly there seemed to be a murmur growing among them. There was a sound that kept growing louder. The reporters turned from Ms. Marvel to find the source of the noise. It sounded incredibly like marching. Ms. Marvel looked away from the reporters. "What the hell?" she asked.

There was an army advancing upon the library. It was an army made entirely of one person. Jamie Madrox and his legion of dupes looked like they were ready for a fight. They marched in step, the sound of their footfalls growing louder as they approached. "Ms. Marvel!" hundreds of voices shouted in an eerie chorus.

The reporters began to snap pictures of the army coming toward them. Slowly, the reporters realized that they were standing in its way. When it looked more and more like the mass of duplicates weren't going to stop, the reporters scattered. By that time the guards had moved into position. "I order you to stop!" cried the captain in charge through the megaphone.

Jamie and his copies didn't stop. The captain realized it was a just an army of kids coming toward him. "You've been warned!" the captain threatened.

The captain then realized that the army of kids was an entire army of one. Each young man was identical. He had been apprehensive about attacking teenagers but this was no kid. This was a mutant. "Fire!" the captain ordered.

The guards around him fired tear gas grenades into the crowd. The smoke began to billow out but there were too many Jamie's. They charged toward the guards. The sheer number of dupes overpowered them before the guards could fire another volley. The scientist and the general ran from Ms. Marvel's side when the wave of dupes came closer. "Never send a man to do a woman's job," she scoffed.

Ms. Marvel launched herself forward. She plowed through the army easily. She sent dupes flying into the air where they would land on other dupes, knocking them to the ground. Without realizing it, she had developed a chain of Jamie's at her feet. They were holding on for dear life. The chain kept growing. Eventually, the chain holding onto her was large enough for the dupes to climb over one another and swarm over her like a nest of ants. The pile of dupes grew as each one jumped on and then began to try and hit her furiously.

Suddenly, the dog pile exploded outward sending copies into the air. Ms. Marvel flew upward triumphantly. She shook out her hair and said, "I hope you aren't that grabby with the ladies, mister."

Ms. Marvel dove back into the crowd and resumed beating up the duplicates. "What do you think you can do?" she asked.

"You hurt my friends! One of them is in a coma because of you!" the dupes thundered as one.

She continued through the crowd. Each dupe punched, kicked, scratched or bit at her to no avail as she passed. She threw some into the air and others were punched or kicked or head-butted. Finally, Ms. Marvel wrapped her hands around the neck of one of Jamie's. She flew up into the air above the writhing mass of arms and legs. "Put me…down…you bitch!" he managed to gasp.

"I've been briefed on most of Xavier's kids," she sneered.

Ms. Marvel slapped Jamie across the face. The impact caused six more dupes to fall to the ground below them. She slapped him again releasing four copies. Jamie struggled to laugh, "You're just…making…more."

"I know exactly what I'm doing," she replied and gave him another slap.

The dupes continued to pour out of Jamie. "Stop. Stop it…please," he gasped.

There were too many dupes for Multiple to control. His consciousness was spread too thin among them. He was loosing his grip. His eyes rolled back as he passed out. Below them, the dupes seized up and fell over. One by one, they each faded away. When the last duplicate disappeared Ms. Marvel landed on the street. "Sorry 'bout that kiddo," she said.

"Ms. Marvel, put him down!" someone shouted at her.

Ms. Marvel turned around. The X-Men were standing down the street from her. It looked like the most clichéd Mexican Standoff ever put to film. "You've got to be kidding me," she sighed in exasperation.


	7. Chapter 7

Marvelous

Chapter 7

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind. This is the second chapter to be posted after a log hiatus. I'm also going to go back and edit some of the other chapters for mistakes and things.

Also, thanks to everyone who is reading. I love everyone's comments.

Chapter 7:

"We're not going to let you hurt him," Cyclops shouted at Ms. Marvel.

The X-Men were standing around him in formation. Colossus was not in his armor while Rogue, who still had control of Iceman's powers, did not take the ice form. Storm hovered in the air above them and Beast was nearby sitting on his haunches. Nightcrawler stood with his tail twitching in anticipation as Shadowcat stood with her hands on her hip. X-23 was crouched with her claws extended. She was the only one to assume a battle stance.

"Is this some kind of vendetta?" Ms. Marvel asked. "I defeated you before and now I just stomped your one man army into the ground."

"He's only a child. You do not know what kind of damage you could have done," Storm declared.

"Please, let us make sure he is alright," Beast said.

Ms. Marvel's eyes grew wider. "I can't believe it. You actually think I'm going to let you take him back with you," she said in disbelief.

"Ms. Marvel, Multiple was just reacting to his situation in an unguided manner," Beast explained and then added, "We have one student in a coma due to our last encounter."

"You're mutant super-hero days are done. All you need to do is crawl back to your mansion and accept that someone better is taking care of business," Ms. Marvel said harshly. "Your group is poorly trained. You've got wild animals on your team. We have dossiers on all of you. I'm surprised that _X-23_ hasn't killed one of you yet."

"There's more to me than what any of your files will say," X-23 growled.

X-23 snarled and suddenly launched herself forward. "No!" Cyclops shouted.

Rogue released an ice beam to trap X-23 before she could attack Ms. Marvel. They had no intentions of fighting; they wanted to retrieve Multiple peacefully. Unfortunately, as Rogue used her ice powers Shadowcat leaped forward as well. Shadowcat grabbed X-23 and became intangible. The ice beam passed through them and then struck Ms. Marvel in the shoulder. Kitty and her target phased through the pavement to the sewer below. Ms. Marvel tossed Multiple on to a pile of trash. She shook the ice from her shoulder and clenched her jaw. She flew forward like a rocket. Each of the X-Men fell into defensive stances.

Cyclops crouched down and let loose an optic beam. It fired true to the mark and hit Ms. Marvel in the chest. She faltered slightly but changed her flight path to aim directly for Beast. Beast reacted quickly and bounced agilely away to reveal an armored Colossus barreling toward Ms. Marvel like a freight train. Colossus met Ms. Marvel head on. She was taken by surprise and he kept pushing her backwards. "Not today comrade," she growled.

She planted her feet on the ground but Colossus kept pushing her. She reached up and grabbed his hands in hers in a grappling match. Her feet began digging furrows into the pavement and Colossus began to lose momentum. He was slowing down. Colossus grunted and strained with the effort to drive her back. There was a crash of thunder as a lightning bolt split the sky. The electricity struck Ms. Marvel. She yelled in surprise. Her lapse in concentration gave Colossus the edge he needed.

Colossus gripped Ms. Marvel's hand tightly and hurled her into the air. Rogue shot an ice beam and began to encase the blonde superhero as she tumbled in the air. The ice crystal grew and Ms. Marvel was imprisoned. She fell to the ground with a thud. Cyclops edged beside of Rogue. "I don't think that will hold fo…" he began just as Ms. Marvel used her incredible strength to shatter the ice block.

Ms. Marvel pulled herself up to her feet. Before she had completely righted herself, Nightcrawler appeared in a puff of smoke behind her. He latched onto her and then teleported away. He appeared and then disappeared around the street in quick succession. There was one last puff as Ms. Marvel fell from a short height. Nightcrawler landed and then vaulted away to safety.

"You people don't know how much trouble you're in," Ms. Marvel threatened as she stood up once more. She was losing her cool demeanor that she had held thus far. "Ulp!" Ms. Marvel groaned suddenly.

She began to sink downward. She looked down. Shadowcat had grabbed her legs and phased her into the pavement. Beast pounced from above and landed easily behind her. He wrapped his arms around her in a full-nelson hold. "Please. Just let us take our friend home. We don't want to fight you any more than you want to fight us," he pleaded.

Ms. Marvel bared her teeth and sneered, "You've brought this on yourselves!"

"Save it lady," X-23 said resting on Colossus' shoulder.

Shadowcat had gotten her to calm down and then phased her back to the street. Colossus grabbed her and pulled his arm back. He hurled X-23 like a major league pitcher. She sailed through the air. The mass of her adamantium skeleton knocked the breath from Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel seemed to wilt in Beast's arms. He held tight. Storm lowered herself toward the ground and Cyclops and Rogue came closer as well.

"Just listen to what we have to say," offered Rogue. "Surely you can see things from our point of view."

Ms. Marvel looked like she was in pain. She was gasping for air. Finally, she seemed to catch her breath. She raised her head to look up toward the X-Men. "I've been going easy on you but you've forced my hand," she said in a menacing voice.

With a burst of frightening strength she broke free from Beast. She pulled her feet free from the pavement and shook the debris from her legs like dust. She grabbed Beast by the arm and spun, flinging him into the air at Storm. The two collided and landed heavily on the pavement.

Cyclops used his optic beam and Rogue used her borrowed ice beam together. Ms. Marvel deflected both powers with her hands. She powered toward them but was blindsided by Colossus. His momentum carried the two of them into and through the brick wall of a building. Dust and debris fell in around them, swirling in smoky tendrils. The X-Men ran forward to see how their teammate fared.

Suddenly, through the hole in the wall Colossus, who was no longer armored, flew into the daylight. He was on a crash course with Shadowcat but she phased and he passed right through. Unfortunately for Cyclops, he was in the way behind Shadowcat and was mowed down by the airborne Russian. "Oh my God!" Shadowcat cried out as she turned to look at Cyclops who was taken out by the attack that had been meant for her. She turned to find Ms. Marvel flying right at her. She didn't have enough time to phase and was knocked across the street by a powerful punch.

Rogue used another ice beam. It glanced off of Ms. Marvel's shoulder as she dodged a teleport attack from Nightcrawler. He appeared in a cloud of smoke behind the masked superhero. He swung a punch at her face but she was able to duck around and grab him by the tail. Nightcrawler was whipped around and his eyes flew open in surprise. He was slammed into X-23 who was leaping to attack. Together they disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared on a nearby rooftop.

Ms. Marvel spun around and caught Rogue's hand inches before it touched her face. Rogue had taken her glove off. She was going to try to drain away some of Ms. Marvel's powers to stop her. "Sorry girlfriend, no mind meld today," Ms. Marvel scolded.

Ms. Marvel was then blasted at point blank range by an ice beam to the face. She would have screamed if her face hadn't been encased in ice. She groaned and hurled Rogue away.

Rogue came to a skidding halt on the pavement. If she was wearing normal clothes rather than her uniform she would have had a bad case of road rash. Her uniform wasn't enough to keep her from feeling every ache and pain however. She looked up to find Ms. Marvel bent over and clawing at the ice over her face. It was a slight reprieve but it wouldn't last long. Rogue turned her attention to her teammates around her. She was the only one left standing.

She jerked in surprise as Kurt teleported beside of her. He was holding X-23 in his arm. "We need to retreat, Rogue," he said urgently. "She's too strong! She took out the whole team!"

"Ah think it's time she fought the team one-on-one," Rogue said.

"What are you talking…" Nightcrawler began to ask but he realized what Rogue meant.

"Don't argue Kurt. There's no time. When I'm finished with everyone, 'port them to safety," Rogue ordered.

Before Kurt could stop her, Rogue reached out with her ungloved hand and touched X-23's face. Rogue felt that she could use her teammate's training and healing factor. Rogue felt those abilities open up like flowers inside of her mind. She knew how to fight like X-23. Kurt looked grimly at Rogue. "Good luck Rogue," he said and then disappeared.

Ms. Marvel smashed the ice from her face. She took a deep gasp of air. She looked around frantically for the one called Rogue. She had absorptive powers and was using the powers of the one called Iceman. Ms. Marvel didn't see her. She did see Nightcrawler appear and grab Cyclops. Ms. Marvel flew forward to intercept and incapacitate him before he could escape with his teammate. Suddenly, Ms. Marvel was stopped by a gale force wind. She was swept up in a whirlwind.

Ms. Marvel escaped the storm and shook the tangles from her hair. She looked around expecting to find Storm. Instead she found Rogue riding the winds above her. Ms. Marvel opened her mouth to speak but was blasted by a red beam from Rogue's eyes. It caught her by surprise and slammed Ms. Marvel to the pavement.

The winds supporting Rogue in the sky ceased and Rogue began to plummet to the ground. In a blink, her skin turned to metal and she built up momentum. She held out her fists and braced for impact. She slammed into Ms. Marvel like a meteor. Ms. Marvel groaned and they both were driven into the pavement with an earthshaking crash.

Rogue saw that Ms. Marvel's eyes faltered for just a second. She had a dazed look for a second but recovered quickly. Her eyes narrowed. "Bitch, I think I actually felt that!" she sneered.

Ms. Marvel was up in flash. She lashed out but Rogue used the combine reflexes of Beast and X-23 to evade the attack. Rogue bounded backwards away from the grasp of her opponent. Rogue landed on her feet and blasted Ms. Marvel with the combined powers of Cyclops and Ice Man. "That's a tired trick," Ms. Marvel hissed as she hefted up a car and launched it toward Rogue.

Rogue focused her attention on the car that was flying at her. She blasted it away effortlessly but Ms. Marvel was careening right at her. Ms. Marvel had a look of grim satisfaction as she was ready to slam into Rogue and take her out of the fight. Her expression changed to one of surprise as she passed right through Rogue. Rogue spun and grabbed Ms. Marvel by the foot. Despite turning herself into steel, Rogue was jerked from her feet. As Ms. Marvel flew along Rogue was able to pull herself along her opponent's body until she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I don't think so hun," Ms. Marvel said.

She veered her flight path and scraped her back against the facades of the nearby buildings. Rogue was digging into the bricks and mortar as Ms. Marvel flew along. Chips of debris cascaded down to the street but Rogue held tight. Rogue focused her mind summoning a lightning bolt. It crashed from the sky and struck the both of them. Ms. Marvel bared her teeth but fell from the air. Rogue lost her grip and landed with a metallic clang.

Rogue reverted to her normal form. She pushed herself up on one elbow. She groaned as she tried to move. She was grabbed up roughly by the neck. Ms. Marvel was holding her tightly and was beginning to squeeze even more. Rogue gasped for breath but found no purchase. "Your team or your team inside of you; I'll beat you no matter what," Ms. Marvel spat. She was clearly frazzled. Her collected and professional pretense had been dropped completely.

Summoning the last bit of strength in her body, Rogue reached up with both ungloved hands and gripped her enemy by the exposed neck. Ms. Marvel's eyes grew wide and her muscles seized. She screamed out in pain. Rogue began screaming as well. She was in pain. She'd never experienced pain when she imprinted someone. Ms. Marvel flew straight up into the air to escape from Rogue but her grip held firm. They spiraled into the air high above the city.

They both felt a blackness creep upon them. It was as if some weariness beyond their years was catching up to them. Their eyes fell closed and they began to drop from the sky. High above the ground, a puff of smoke appeared and the two women vanished. Instantly, they reappeared on the ground below. Kurt laid them both on the ground gently. He cradled Rogue's head, making sure to touch her hair only, in his hand. "Rogue are you alright?" he asked and gingerly patted the side of her head.

Rogue jerked awake. She shoved Nightcrawler away rather roughly. She still had absorbed Ms. Marvel's strength. Nightcrawler held his chest and wheezed, "What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm your friend!" Rogue said. "You attacked me!"

"You're…you're not Rogue are you?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Do I look like that skunk-head to you?" Rogue demanded.

Only it wasn't Rogue in control of the body. It was Ms. Marvel.


	8. Chapter 8

Marvelous

Chapter 8

By: iamdaemon

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution. This was written for fun.

Author's Note: I wrote this with my brother. The fic takes place in the future during those images that Xavier glimpsed from Apocalypse's mind. This chapter and epilogue will complete this story.

Also, thanks to everyone who is and was reading. I love everyone's comments. Thanks for hanging in the whole time. I know it's taken a long while for me to get this finished but I hope you enjoyed it.

* * *

Chapter 8:

Rogue stood leaning against the rail at a little club overlooking the river. It was a nice night and the music was playing loudly. The rail was rough and rugged enough for her to feel it through her gloves. She figured that the owner would spend a little time, money and effort trying to fix the place up but the hangout was really becoming a dive. She was content to remain aloof and hang out away from the crowd, however. She was watching the moon rays dance across the rippling river. Something about this felt all too familiar.

Rogue whirled around to find two of the jocks walking toward her. This was definitely familiar. One of the jocks was grinning as if he was having the time of his life while the other looked a little worried and anxious. "Guys, Ah don't think this is right," Rogue said.

Suddenly, the deck beneath Rogue's feet gave way. The boards caved in and Rogue shouted out as she fell towards the river. There was no splash or cold embrace of the chilling water. Rogue was engulfed in darkness instead.

She suddenly found herself standing amidst the rubble of a ruined building. Scott was nearby, unconscious. Fred Dukes, her old teammate was charging like an angry rhinoceros. Rogue felt Scott's power well up inside her. It was coursing through her body. The raw, savage energy was glowing from her eyes. She released that power in its fullest form. The crimson power hit Fred in the chest with no effect.

Rogue remembered this scene from her past but it didn't quite play out like that. It was different. She tried to force more of the energy out of her, to stop Blob in his tracks but it was no use. He powered forward as if she was blowing on him through a straw. She stripped off her gloves ready to absorb his power away. With outstretched arms Rogue braced herself for the impact of the behemoth.

Blob raged toward her but to Rogue's surprise he passed through her like a phantom. The Blob continued to run and the scenery around Rogue was pulled behind him as if it were hooked on a chain. The room stretched in the direction that he ran. Stones and girders elongated out like taffy. When it seemed that the world had reached the critical breaking point, the scenery snapped free from its unseen moorings. The world around Rogue zipped away almost faster than she could see, leaving the black abyss once again.

She turned around quickly to find herself standing in a gazebo on the mansion grounds. Beneath her the ocean crashed against the cliffs. Kurt was before her looking upset. He was arguing with her, or it seemed another version of her. Rogue was going to demand what was happening. She tried to move her mouth but couldn't. She tried to make any sound at all without any success. It was then that Rogue realized that she couldn't move a muscle. She was made of stone. The other version of her lunged forward and shoved the petrified Rogue.

Rogue tried to call out as she felt herself tip backward. She lost her balance and plummeted from the gazebo. The ocean and craggy rocks rushed up to meet her. Kurt appeared in a cloud of smoke to rescue her but she knew he would be too late. Just as Rogue was about to crash against the shore below the world around her seemed to dissolve.

The waters of the ocean emptied into a bottomless chasm and disappeared. The cliff shattered to dust and then swirled in a raging vortex before vanishing completely. In the remaining darkness Rogue had no sense of direction. She couldn't be certain if she was right-side-up or upside-down without a point of reference. She looked around hoping to find her unseen enemy. There was neither cold nor warmth. Rogue was in a total lack of sensation. All she could see was the vast blackness around her.

"Where am Ah?" Rogue demanded.

"Don't you recognize it?" a cold voice called out. "This is your mind. I'm inside your head now, girl."

"Ms. Marvel? Ah don't know what happened, but Ah wasn't about to let you hurt any of my friends any more," Rogue said.

Rogue spun in the darkness trying to find her bearings. If this was her mind, why wasn't she in control? How come Rogue couldn't make her body do what she wanted?

XXXX

Nightcrawler was astounded by the fact that Ms. Marvel was in control of Rogue's body. He knew that she sometimes had difficulty controlling the personalities she absorbed but this time was different. It was as if Rogue was nowhere to be found inside, all traces of her had been erased.

"What kind of trick is this?" Ms. Marvel demanded in Rogue's voice.

Her hand shot out and wrapped around Kurt's neck. The grip was like a vice. He groaned and gasped for breath. "I don't…know," Nightcrawler croaked.

With his fists, he beat at her wrist trying to break free. Spots were beginning to form before his eyes. He focused with all his might and teleported free from Ms. Marvel's grasp. When Kurt reappeared, he was with his fallen comrades. They were all still unconscious from the combination of Ms. Marvel's attack and Rogue's absorption of their powers. He grabbed Cyclops by the shoulders. "Wake up. I think we're in some serious trouble." Kurt peeked over the edge of the roof where they were hiding to see the body of Rogue standing over the seemingly lifeless form of Ms. Marvel. From his vantage he could see "Rogue" clench her fists and in an instant the launched into the air like a rocket. "Some are in more trouble than others," he added.

XXXXX

Ms. Marvel was flying Rogue's body away from the city at a speed that she had never reached before. She had a look of murder upon her face. She knew that these children were just the pawns. Ms. Marvel wanted to take care of the puppet master behind those meddling kids. Now that she was inside Rogue's body, Ms. Marvel was rifling through all of the skunk-head's memories. There were no secrets held from Carol Danvers whose will was indomitable. Professor Xavier was the one behind the X-Men. It was most likely his fault that she was trapped inside the mutant's body for the moment. Ms. Marvel wasn't sure if she was going to ever get back to her body or not but she was sure that this mutant professor was going to make things right or pay. If she had it her way, both of those options were going to happen.

Ms. Marvel bared her teeth as the wind threatened to bring tears to her eyes. She had never gone so fast through the atmosphere before. It was as if her anger was fueling her speed toward the Westchester mansion. She did not like being in this body. It was the body of weak young girl, not a powerful and influential woman like Carol Danvers. It was foreign and made her skin crawl.

Slowly, Ms. Marvel realized that she was not the only one inhabiting the body of the young female mutant. There were several other minds in residence as well. There were the other X-Men. Rogue had absorbed them to become a one woman wrecking crew in an attempt to stop the marvelous Carol Danvers. These other mutant presences were weak. Their memories and abilities were available at her fingertips, so to speak, but she walled them away in the recesses of Rogue's mind.

In the back of Ms. Marvel's mind, Rogue's teammates rallied against the invader. She felt each of them claw at her mentality trying to take control. She briefly wondered if that happened to Rogue each time she imprinted someone and after a quick shuffle through her memories Ms. Marvel saw that it was a common occurrence. Each time a person was added to Rogue's gallery, another personality was added to the general background noise in Rogue's mind. Rogue was just too weak willed to keep them in check. Ms. Marvel on the other hand was more than capable of tuning out the background static.

Without warning, Ms. Marvel was assaulted by an unseen force. She felt as if someone had hit her in the head with a sledgehammer. Her flight path toward the mansion faltered and she fell a few yards toward the ground before she regained her composure. She knew immediately what had happened.

"Nice try, Professor, but save the party tricks for the kiddies' birthday party," she replied angrily.

Professor Xavier appeared to Ms. Marvel in her mind. He floated before her in her mindscape. "Ms. Marvel, please let me help you. Something horrible has gone wrong," he explained.

"You can bet something horrible has gone wrong. And as soon as I reach the mansion, something else and just as horrible is going to happen to you," she threatened.

Ms. Marvel now saw the full-bodied astral projection of Professor Xavier floating before her in the sky. He stretched his arms out imploringly. "Is this some kind of peace offering?" she asked. "You're people attacked me, you know. I didn't ask to be trapped in this gothic reject's body," Ms. Marvel spat.

"That was purely an accident, as I'm sure you are well aware," the Professor said. "Please, I want to help you."

Above Ms. Marvel, the sky began to grow dark and ominous. The clouds swirled and thunder rumbled in the distance. "You're probably aware of the fact that I'm in control of this body and this body is currently in control of most of the powers of your X-Men. Do you realize who much damage this one mutant could to do the city? Do you also realize that the blame would fall solely on her? A single mutant destroying the entire city? That could lead to concentration camps and registration of your kind. And best of all Ms. Marvel would be a martyr among the rubble." Ms. Marvel let the threat hang in the air.

"I wouldn't let you do that," the Professor warned.

"You'd kill your own student just to stop me? Right now, I have her pushed so far into the back of her mind, you'd probably never get Rogue back if you snuff me out," Ms. Marvel sneered. "Hmph. She's never even told you her real name. You could have pried it out for yourself if you wanted to. Do you want to know what it is?"

"Those thoughts are Rogue's alone and if she wanted me to know she'd have told me," the Professor said. He hesitated for a moment. He knew this was a precarious situation. Ms. Marvel was a strong opponent but psychically, she was a gnat compared to him. There was just something below the surface going on. She was an agent of the United States, of SHIELD. Her actions and her demeanor toward the X-Men had become malicious.

"Why do you hate the X-Men so?" the Professor asked.

XXXXX

Rogue was still trapped inside her own mind, a prisoner with no control. Ms. Marvel had allowed Rogue to glimpse the current situation, it was something like watching a movie in the theater, only no matter how hard Rogue tried to approach the screen, the image remained the same distance away. Ms. Marvel, parading in Rogue's body, was floating hundred's of feet above the ground with a mental image of the Professor projected before her. "Help me!" Rogue screamed out but her mouth didn't cooperate. Those thoughts seemed to be swallowed by the void surrounding her. "Professor!" she called in vain.

If Rogue had been in control of her body there would have been tears rolling down her cheeks.

Rogue slowly became aware of a noise like tinkling glass. It was almost undetectable at first but it grew slowly. Rogue realized that it was laughter. Someone was laughing at her. "Who's there?" she demanded looking around the void.

"Shut up," the voice said. "If you keep that up, she'll hear you and know something is going on."

"I don't get it," Rogue replied.

The voice sighed. "Not the quickest river rat on the barge, are we? Or was that analogy over your head, love?"

Rogue found it easy to keep her anger in check since the situation was so dire. She kept her mouth shut. "Good. Your hitchhiker can keep tabs on you but I'm flying below her radar; she'll never know I was here. I'm here to help you. The Professor is keeping her distracted and I'm going to help you," the voice explained condescendingly.

"Who are you?" Rogue asked trying to keep her thoughts as concealed as possibly.

"Oh darling, do you honestly expect me to reveal my hand so early in the game?" the voice replied with a chuckle.

"What are you going to do?" Rogue asked.

"You're taught teamwork at that school of yours, correct? I'll give you the home court advantage and it looks like you've got enough on deck for a full team." With that the voice silenced itself. Rogue felt something open up inside her like a flower in the morning light.

Rogue was no longer suspended in the empty void. She stood in the cemetery back home where she first met the X-Men. It was that night that Mystique, her mother, had tried to turn her against the closest thing to a family she would ever have. A thin veil of mist floated between the headstones. Rogue knew it was just in her mind but she could swear that she felt the brisk night air raise goose bumps across her arms. Rogue was suddenly slammed from behind. The pain as she landed against a tombstone was real enough. "I don't know what kind of mind trick your Professor pulled but after I put you away, I'm going to make sure that he can't do it again," Ms. Marvel said.

Rogue rubbed her arm and looked up. The masked woman was hurtling toward her dead set on making sure this would be her final resting place. Out of nowhere, a meteor seemed to smash into Ms. Marvel driving her into the ground. From the dust of the small crater a thick Russian accent spoke out, "I don't think you'll be doing any of that."

Piotr climbed out of the crater. "But how?" Rogue asked. Colossus hadn't been there during Rogue's encounter at the cemetery.

From the night sky, a bolt of electricity struck down into the crater. Storm floated gracefully down to the ground and walked the few paces toward Rogue. Shadowcat phased up from the ground next to Rogue. Kitty extended her hand and helped Rogue to her feet. There was a groan from the crater and the top of Ms. Marvel's blonde head edged its way up. With a cracking sound the crater was flash frozen and coated with ice. Bobby, in his ice form stood up straight on the roof of a crypt. He careened over to his friends on an ice slide. "You weren't there that night," Rogue said.

"We're going to help you while we can," Storm said.

"We don't know how long we'll be strong enough to make a difference," Kitty added.

As Beast and X-23 hurried over, Rogue realized that these were just manifestations of her friends. They were still fresh inside her mind. She was still in control of their powers and their personalities were still strong enough to be of assistance. The ice encrusting the ground erupted upward sending shards of deadly ice everywhere. "Gather your strength. We'll try to weaken her and then you have to be able to put her away," Cyclops said as he sidled up behind Rogue placing a hand on her shoulder. "X-Men, let's show her what we can do!"

The X-Men standing around Rogue leaped into battle. X-23 snarled as she ran forward. She darted between headstones making her way toward Ms. Marvel. The masked avenger was definitely looking frazzled. She had lost any traces of her cool demeanor. X-23 launched herself forward in an attack. Ms. Marvel dodged easily. She brought her arm around ready to deliver a clothesline attack to the feral mutant but she was blasted by Cyclops. Ms. Marvel was taken off guard and she was sent wheeling backward. Beast doubled his fists together and hit Ms. Marvel across the face.

Ms. Marvel turned in the air and landed facedown. She pushed herself up. "That was foolish. I'm going to kill you all," she sneered.

A fierce wind forced her back down to the ground. "We won't let that happen. We're just ghosts in Rogue's mind, and right now, so are you," Storm said.

In a flash, Ms. Marvel flew straight up. Her arm was outstretched with a fist. She was ready to give Storm a killing blow. When Ms. Marvel thought she was going to slam her fist into Storm's belly, she passed right through. Ms. Marvel couldn't believe that she had fallen for Shadowcat's phasing trick again, but it was different this time. She had sailed above Storm and turned to look down. Storm was fading away. The ground could be seen through the weather witch. In another second, Storm was completely gone. Ms. Marvel smiled.

Beast picked up X-23 and sent her flying like a bullet at Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel remained where she was. The mutant girl passed right through her and faded away behind Carol. Beast was slowly becoming transparent as well until he was gone.

Ms. Marvel lowered slowly to the ground. A smile was spreading across her face. Cyclops reached up to release an optic blast but he dissipated as well. Shadowcat opened her mouth to speak but she was gone, too. The look of pleasure was replaced with shock as Ms. Marvel was grabbed by Colossus. "Rogue, we're fading away!" He called. "You need to hurry!"

Ms. Marvel didn't struggle against the Russian. He was fading away. After a moment, she was free once he disappeared. "I don't know what to do," Rogue cried out.

"Looks like you're all out of friends," Ms. Marvel said.

"Not so fast skank," Iceman said as he blasted his enemy with a stream of ice.

Her arm was encased in ice but she wasn't stopped. With her free hand Ms. Marvel ripped up a headstone and hurled it at Iceman. The large granite rock shattered Bobby into what seemed like a thousand different fragments. "NO!" Rogue screamed.

Ms. Marvel swatted the ice away from her arm and walked toward Rogue calmly. "Why? Why are you doing this to us?" Rogue asked as she backed away from the advancing superhero.

"You people attacked me, I'm trapped in this body, and it's my job," Ms. Marvel replied.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Rogue said as she edged backward toward the side of a crypt. "Why do you seem to hate us so much? The X-Men try to help people as well. We're not your enemies."

"No?" Ms. Marvel asked. "You mutants are all the same. You think that you're exempt from the laws of normal humans. You go around having your own battles and destroy half the city. Look what you did today. Mutants aren't heroes, they're a menace."

Ms. Marvel punched through a headstone as she approached. She was angry, but this anger was more focused than the rage she had expressed during the battle. "I don't know what you've done but somehow the X-Men have Nick Fury in their collective back pocket. Mutants are verging on the power of gods and growing stronger everyday. The only way for normal humans to keep up is to take drastic measures. I mean, just look at me," she explained.

Rogue frowned. She hadn't thought of that. She had never thought of normal humans feeling impotent or insufficient next to mutants. Mutants were normally caught up in their own affairs what with the anti-mutant fervor. "I'm sorry," Rogue said.

"Save it sister," Ms. Marvel said and as quickly as ever she flew at Rogue.

"STOP THIS!" came the Professor's voice drowning out all sound and freezing everything in place.

"Professor!" Rogue exclaimed excitedly.

"Rogue, I don't know why Ms. Marvel is in control of your body but I can help you. Together we can seal her away," he said quickly. "You need to be strong. Remember, this is your mind and she has no right here."

"She's too strong," Rogue protested.

"Rogue, if you can't fight her here, then there is no way you can defeat her," Xavier said.

Ms. Marvel was able to break free from her apparent stasis. "No more tricks!" she raged.

Rogue balled her fists and set her jaw. "You're right. This ends now."

The grass as Rogue's feet turned brown. It had turned to brown dirt. Quickly, the ring of dirt radiated outward. The mausoleums and tombstones crumbled to dust. The night sky melted away into a clear, blue sky. In an instant, they were standing in a barren desert of cracked earth. Ms. Marvel wasn't deterred by the change in scenery; she continued to drive at Rogue. Rogue nimbly dodged to the side and the masked woman blew by. "So you're not just a little pushover anymore," Ms. Marvel sneered.

Rogue floated away backwards from Ms. Marvel. "You're no longer in control. I know all about you know…Carol," Rogue said using Ms. Marvel's real name. "You can't hurt me anymore."

Ms. Marvel touched down lightly to pivot and change directions to fly right back at Rogue. Only once her feet touched the ground, they wouldn't budge away. "What the hell?" Ms. Marvel gasped.

"We're locking you away," Rogue stated simply without malice or hatred.

The fine sand and dust of the desert crept across the rocky ground toward Ms. Marvel. It began to pile up around her. Quickly it was knee deep and Rogue floated above it all. Ms. Marvel tried to punch her way out dig through the sand but it quickly hardened and kept getting deeper. It reached her chest and she called out, "I won't be a prisoner here! I'll get free and I'll show you!"

Rogue, with the Professor's help, kept piling the dirt higher and higher. Ms. Marvel now had her hands raised and neck craned back with the sand up around her chin. Her attitude had changed. "Rogue. Help me. Don't lock me up. Don't bury me. We can work together. I can help you watch out for danger! I can help you!" she pleaded.

"Honestly, Ah don't need another backseat driver," Rogue said.

In the distance a great wave of sand welled. It grew closer and closer. It washed over Ms. Marvel burying her within Rogue's subconscious. Still she piled the dirt and hardened it. In a few minutes, she had buried the savage personality under a mountain as tall as Everest within her mind.

Rogue floated back to the desert basin. Shards of ice were scattered around her. She stared at them. They quivered in place for a moment then they crawled to a single pile as if magnetically attracted to one another. From the ground up, Rogue and Xavier reconstructed Iceman. It was like he was a statue glued back together. The cracks were still visible through the transparent ice. They glowed white for a second and then sealed back together.

When the light faded Bobby was standing in his normal form in Rogue's mind. "You're still here," she said.

"Yeah, I guess our connection was a bit stronger than with the others," Bobby said.

"Professor, do you know if Bobby's mind will be trapped here like Ms. Marvel's?" she asked.

"I don't know, Rogue," he answered. "It may still be early in either case. What you need now is rest."

"Bobby, Ah know you won't remember any of this if….no, when you wake up but thank you for giving me your breath on the battleship. You saved my life," she said.

"Don't mention it," he said and then added with a grin. "I guess you could say your kiss knocked me off my feet."

"Rest now," Xavier said.

Rogue suddenly felt at peace and her mind grew dark.

XXXXXX

Rogue's eyes slowly drifted open. She found herself lying in the infirmary of the mansion. She felt the electrodes of the monitors attached to her chest and head. Bobby was sitting in a chair beside of her. He looked very interested in the comic book he was reading. "Must be a captivatin' read, huh?" she asked.

Bobby jerked in surprise in his seat. He twisted around to face Rogue who was smiling up at him. "Rogue! You're awake!" Bobby exclaimed. He hurried to the door of the infirmary and called out to the hallway, "Rogue's awake! Guys, come on, she's awake!"

"Bobby, Ah don't think they're all hangin' out in the hallway," Rogue said pushing herself up against the pillows behind her to sit up.

"You'd be surprised," Bobby said with a grin.

"Bobby. Ah want you to know, Ah'm grateful for you helping me on the battleship. Ah was really worried that you'd not wake up again," Rogue said. She wanted to reach out and touch him but she wasn't wearing her gloves.

"Don't mention it," he said as he came back and sat in the seat beside the bed. "I guess you could say your kiss knocked me off my feet."

"Ah knew you'd say something like that," she chuckled.

Piotr and Professor Xavier came into the room. "Rogue. I'm glad you're awake," Colossus said smiling, his large bulk filling up the room.

"Glad to be awake, Pete," Rogue replied. "How long was Ah asleep?"

"You rested deeply for four days," Colossus answered.

"How do you feel Rogue?" the Professor asked.

"Incredible. Ah'm not hearin' any psychotic voices or anythin'. But there's still the power. Ah can feel it," she said as she flexed her fist. "Is she always gonna be a part of me?"

"I do not know. We can run a few more tests but right now there may be no way to tell. Do you have any traces of Bobby's powers?" Xavier asked.

Rogue studied her hand for a moment. She was trying to shift to the ice form but couldn't. "No. There's no more ice in these veins," Rogue replied.

"Your absorption of Ms. Marvel could be temporary as well," Xavier said. He was going to continue but Rogue cut him off.

"What happened to her? Is she okay?" Rogue asked quickly.

"Ms. Marvel is in a coma much like Bobby was in. She was taken by SHIELD. Nick Fury is personally going to head an inquiry into the X-Men over the matter however. And as for Jamie, he's fine and well. He may not be enjoying his probation however," Xavier said.

Rogue looked down at her feet. She could feel the power. She knew that everything Ms. Marvel could do was now her own to do as well. She was strong, fast, and agile. She looked up to meet the Professor's gaze. "While you were talking to Ms. Marvel, there was another voice. This voice helped me. It unlocked the other X-Men inside to help me fight Ms. Marvel," Rogue explained.

"Another telepath?" Piotr asked.

Xavier pressed his fingertips together. "I'm not surprised that there are other telepaths out there. To find one powerful enough to be able to conceal their presence in your mind without my notice, however, is unsettling. If this voice helped you, there may be little doubt that they will reveal themselves sooner or later."

Professor Xavier's words hung in the air. There was another powerful telepath out there but they had not revealed their identity to Rogue. Was this person a friend? Were they a new enemy? The X-Men didn't doubt the words of their teacher. Sooner or later, they would come to face the new presence.

Epilogue

The officials were meeting in the secret darkened room somewhere. There was a murmur among those in attendance. Their project with Ms. Marvel had apparently gone down the drain. A man at the head of the table called the attention of the others to him. "It may appear that our attempt to revive the super soldier program has come to naught," he said.

"Come to naught?" Someone asked. "It was completely shut down. It had a nice run but those X-Men shut her down."

"That was a set back, yes. We can learn from our mistakes, however. We failed when we tried to make a one-woman-army. That is how the project was defeated. The X-Men have the advantage of teamwork on their side," the man at the head of the table exlained.

"The X-Men are bunch of one dimensional mutants. Ms. Marvel should have wiped them out," an angry looking man said.

"That was not our goal but the project as we know it was inflexible. A team, no matter how one dimensional the members may be, has the ability to adapt. A team is amorphous. A team has greater variability. So we will begin our own team," the first man explained.

"That's ludicrous. To recruit and train a team could take months!" a general said.

"Not if the team is already composed," the first man said with a smile.

"What are you getting at?" a woman asked. "The committee was not aware of any teams."

"Certainly," the man replied. "When the Brotherhood attacked the battleship they were after the cargo deep within the hull. They're leader, Mystique, was a prisoner and was being transported via that battleship. With the help of Ms. Marvel all the members of the Brotherhood were apprehended and are currently in our custody."

"And you believe that these mutant terrorists would be willing to work for the government?" the woman asked.

"Given the right persuasion, anyone would be willing to become a force for freedom," the man replied with a grin.


End file.
